Queer House of the Dragon fans rejoice after steamy, sapphic Rhaenyra kiss: ‘This is so hot’
Is Rhaenyra a lesbian or bisexual in House of the Dragon? Fans think so after a recent sapphic snog (MAX)
As House of the Dragon nears the end of its sophomore season, queer fans are rejoicing after Rhaenyra – finally – kisses her female ally Mysaria, prompting many to wonder if she’s actually (gasp!) a lesbian.
Warning: Spoilers ahead for House of the Dragon, season two, episode six.
After years of House of the Dragon fans pining for just a shred of queer romance in the Westeros-based spinoff of Geroge R. R. Martin’s Game of Thrones, Emma D’Arcy‘s Princess Rhaenyra has finally made good on getting some sapphic snogs under her belt – but not, as many fans suspected, with Alicent (Olivia Cooke).
Episode six sees Rhaenyra and her ally, Mysaria (Sonoya Mizuno), share a few words about their current situation, with the latter (also known as the White Worm) commending Rhaenyra on her strength in the face of all that’s happening, while also sharing some pretty traumatic backstory details.
Mysaria then soon gets something else to commend Rhaenyra on, as the Princess goes in for a hug, which becomes a smooch hotter than King’s Landing in summer.
Fans have, unsurprisingly, reacted to the queer twist and possibility of Rhaenyra being a lesbian, or bisexual, with all the grace and decorum of Vhagar plummeting to her death – too soon?
“And if I say that Rhaenyra and Mysaria kiss is thousand of times hotter than any of the straight sex scenes on the show then what?” one fan asked.
Another added: “This is so hot. Sapphic Rhaenyra fans we won.”
The pair don’t get to revel in the moment for long, unfortunately, because what with it being House of the Dragon and all, the Queen then has to swoop off into the sky on the search for a rogue dragon-rider.
Rhaenyra is also being praised for giving Lord Bartimos Celtigar (Nicholas Jones) a smack after he oversteps his mark in counselling her. Kissing women and slapping men? A true bisexual queen.
Is Rhaenyra a lesbian or bisexual in House of the Dragon?
TV-wise, Rhaenyra has previously had a relationship with Ser Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel), before that went downhill. She also gets ordered to marry Laenor Velaryon (John MacMillan), who is gay, but the real kicker is her marriage to her uncle (yes, uncle), Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith).
In Fire and Blood (House of the Dragon‘s book inspiration), Rhaenyra isn’t explicitly a lesbian, bisexual or queer – and she and Mysaria do not share a kiss of any kind.
Their relationship in the book is limited strictly to an advisory role, with Rhaenyra even sometimes giving Daemon permission to sleep with Mysaria. How the tables have turned.
So is Rhaenyra queer on the TV version of House of the Dragon? Short answer: definitely a bit. The ‘bisexual’ label seems a good fit for now, but given that she’s got political uprisings and rogue dragons to worry about, as well as being married to her murderous uncle, we doubt Rhaenyra will be having a coming out party any time soon.
Speaking to Variety, D’Arcy opened up about the kiss and explained it as “pure bodily desire”.
“Honestly, I think initially there was just such a desire to connect,” they said. “I think what you see initially is intimacy, and an intimacy that Rhaenyra shares so rarely. Even in some of her other romantic relationships, there’s a lot of presentation, there’s a lot of bravado, often from both sides. Certainly with Daemon, I think both parties struggle to reveal themselves in weakness, and that their eroticism is sort of predicated on power.
“Whereas with Mysaria, in this growing relationship — it’s remarkably honest,” D’Arcy continued. “Initially, there’s huge feelings of empathy and gratitude toward this person. Rhaenyra is hugely affected by the life that Mysaria has lived so bravely.
“Then, they are two bodies completely overrun by touch. As soon as they embrace and their bodies are touching, I think it’s pure bodily desire.”
As for any other gay House of the Dragon characters, it’s still not looking great. Season one saw a grizzly end for one of the show’s only queer character, Ser Joffrey Lonmouth (Solly McLeod), while season two is yet to go any further in exploring Daemon’s bisexuality.
A recently introduced Lady Jeyne Arynn (Amanda Collins) sparked several rumblings in the Sapphic-o-sphere, but has not yet lived up to those expectations.
House of the Dragon season two is available on HBO and Max in the US and on Sky Atlantic and Now in the UK.
